Cyber Journalism in Pakistan
By Muhammad Luqman Sheikh

DESPITE taking roots in a number of countries of the world including neighboring India, Internet Journalism is a new term for most Pakistanis, even for the majority of those half a million who use the magic tool of internet.

With very few web-based newspapers, news portals and news agencies, Pakistan has yet to take benefit from the information explosion and the advent of Cyber journalism in the world.

Cyber journalism, internet journalism, online journalism, dot journalism or E-journalism, what ever name you give to this new form of news collection and dissemination, is still something alien to most Pakistanis as a majority can’t even read or write English, the language, considered to be the passport for the information super highway.

This problem can be overcome by developing Urdu software’s, which may lead to increase in the computer usage and the Internet subscription in the country.

As different modern dictionaries suggest, online journalism means the writing of stories specifically for the Web instead of newspaper, radio, television or magazine. It can include the use of text, photos, graphics, hypertext, audio and video to tell stories.

However, non-interactive internet editions of the traditional print newspapers are also considered part of online E-journalism.

The major benefits of the online journalism as compared to the traditional newspapers are-interactivity, frequent updating of the news stories with backgrounders and the use of multi-media to make the news items more comprehensive.

One can find the video, audio and graphic contents on the internet based newspaper or website to understand the issue in a comprehensive manner.

In Pakistan’s case, barring some news portals and websites, most of the news sites available in cyber space are static. It is like monologue, providing no instant opportunity to the reader to respond to some story or matter.

Newspapers like 'The Nation' have tried to engage the readers through inviting their votes for a particular issue of international or domestic significance. Otherwise, the newspapers or portals don’t provide much to engage internet users especially the youth.

Similarly, the online journalism has yet to attain the status of a serious form of medium. It can be done by coming up with exclusive stories and rare information like Tehleka.com, website in India did some times ago. The internet edition of Al-Jazeera TV, BBC and CNN receive a big number of hits (readers/visitors) daily due to newsworthy content.

Pakistani news portals and websites can also win the confidence of readers by posting exclusive stories instead of splashing lifted material from other websites or print media.

Making online journalism popular in Pakistan has also become an uphill task due to the fact that more than 60% of country’s netizens are making un-productive use of the internet by visiting only entertainment especially the porno sites.

Last year, government blocked hundreds of such sites. But it is not humanly possible to block millions of sites containing such material. The online websites and portals can attract internet users only by putting interesting and valuable material instead of flooding their sites with blogs and personal views.

Another reason for less popularity of online journalism is low rate of computer literacy and an equally dismal tele-density in the country. ISPs started to provide services in Pakistan in the year 1996. Today, the ISP market in Pakistan is booming, and new ISPs are being set up at a regular interval. About 150 ISPs are presently working in the country.

However, the number of internet users and the resultant visitors to the web-based newspapers and portals can increase only after the increase in the number of telephones.

As far as computer illiteracy is concerned, people are not familiar with the use of computers. Now there is increasing trend to be equipped with the computer knowledge.

No doubt, the online or E-journalism, which took birth about a decade back, took the information world with a storm, yet it has also led to some ethical problems.

The breaking news about a scandal in India by Tehleka.com and the showing of execution of hostages in Iraq by the resistance groups have raised a number of questions about how to regulate this emerging form of media. So it is necessary to come up with the code of ethics for the internet journalism before it is too late.

Similarly, the showing of execution of hostages does promote the cause of Iraqis. Yet it also leads to panic and harassment among the general public especially among those related to the victims.

So there is need of striking a balance between the right to expression and the ethical values of the society while giving news items on the websites.

In the end, I suggest that the government and the national press should take active steps for the promotion of online E-journalism as it is our future. I believe that the traditional newspapers will stay, yet it is necessary to take benefit from new forms of media. It becomes more necessary at times when media can make or break a nation.●

The writer is a noted journalist associated with APP as Senior Reporter, holds M.Sc degree in International Relations and Certificate in Medical Transcription. His fields of interest are Information Technology, Economy and Agriculture.
E-Mail: luqman64@yahoo.com

© 2004 Muhammad Luqman Sheikh